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Balaenoptera

Taxonomy

Balaenoptera was named by Lacepede (1804) [Sepkoski's age data: T Mi-u R]. It is extant.

It was reranked as Balaena (Balaenoptera) by Reichenbach (1846).

It was assigned to Balaenina by Gray (1825); to Balaena by Reichenbach (1846); to Mysticeti by Deperet (1887); to Balaenidae by Gray (1846), Gray (1850), Gray (1863), Cope (1868), Scammon and Cope (1869), Ameghino (1889), Cope (1890), Newton (1891), Cope (1895), Hay (1902), Palmer (1904) and Case (1904); to Cetacea by Sepkoski (2002); to Balaenopterinae by Flower (1865), Flower (1867), Gill (1871), Brandt (1873), Brandt (1874), Lydekker (1887), Trouessart (1898), Trouessart (1904), Miller (1923), Hay (1930), Fraser and Purves (1960), Vidal (1991), McKenna and Bell (1997), Rice (1998), Bouetel and Muizon (2006) and Bisconti (2008); and to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1864), Gray (1866), Gray (1868), Flores (1895), Turner (1912), Zittel (1925), Weber (1928), Dal Piaz (1929), Kellogg (1944), Simpson (1945), Ellerman and Morrisson-Scott (1951), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Barnes (1977), Carroll (1988), Geisler and Sanders (2003), Mead and Brownell (2005), Demere et al. (2005), Steeman (2007), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008), Whitmore and Kaltenbach (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Fordyce and Roberts (2009), Geisler et al. (2011) and Ekdale et al. (2011).

Species

B. brevicauda, B. cephalus, B. davidsonii, B. fasciata, B. floridana, B. minutis, B. physalus (syn. Benedenia knoxii, B. gibbar, B. rorqual, B. antiquorum, Physalus brasiliensis, Physalus duguidii, Physalus fasciatus, Physalus patachonicus, Swinhoia chinensis, Balaena antiquorum, B. patachonica, B. velifera, B. quoyi, B. copei, Balaena sulcata arctica, Balaena sulcata, B. blythi, B. boops), B. ryani, B. sursiplana, B. taiwanica

Sister genera

Archaebalaenoptera, Cetotheriophanes, Diunatans, Megaptera (syn. Poescopia, Kyphobalaena, Perqualus, Cyphobalaena), Notiocetus, Parabalaenoptera, Plesiobalaenoptera, Plesiocetus (syn. Plesiocetus giganteus, Plesiocetus intermedius, Plesiocetus tertius, Plesiocetus rostratus, Plesiocetus brialmontii, Plesiocetus goropii, B. musculoides), Praemegaptera, Protororqualus, Pterobalaena, Rorqualus

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Synonyms

Cuvierius was named by Gray (1866). It is extant. Its type is Cuvierius latirostris.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1866); and to Physalinidae by Gray (1868).
Sibbaldius (Rudolphius) was named by Gray (1866). It is extant.

It was reranked as Rudolphius by Gray (1868) and Palmer (1904); it was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Sibbaldius by Gray (1866); to Physalinidae by Gray (1868); and to Balaenidae by Palmer (1904).
Swinhoia was named by Gray (1868). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1868).
Balaenoptera andrejewi was named by Anonymous (1888). It is extant.

It was considered a nomen nudum by Hershkovitz (1966).
Balaenoptera grimmi was named by Anonymous (1888). It is extant.

It was considered a nomen nudum by Hershkovitz (1966).
Stenobalaena was named by Gray (1874). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Physalus by Hector (1875).
Sibbaldus was named by Flower (1865). It is extant. Its type is Balaenoptera laticeps.

It was corrected as Sibbaldius by Gray (1866), Gray (1868) and Scammon and Cope (1869); it was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Physalinidae by Gray (1868); to Balaenidae by Cope (1868), Scammon and Cope (1869) and Palmer (1904); to Balaenopterinae by Flower (1865), Flower (1867), Gill (1871) and Miller (1923); and to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1864), Gray (1866) and Simpson (1945).
Balaenoptera rostratella was named by Van Beneden (1880) [See Demere et al. (2005), p. 114 for discussion.]. Its type specimen is none designated, a partial skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Sable Superieur d'Anvers, which is in a Zanclean coastal sandstone in the Kattendijk Formation of Belgium.

It was recombined as Balaenoptera emarginata rostratella by Trouessart (1904); it was considered a nomen dubium by Bosselaers and Post (2010).
Balaenoptera sibbaldina was named by Van Beneden (1880) [See Demere et al. (2005) p. 115 for discussion.]. Its type specimen is none designated, a partial skeleton (petrosal and scattered postcrania), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Sable Superieur d'Anvers, which is in a Zanclean coastal sandstone in the Kattendijk Formation of Belgium.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera definata by Lydekker (1887); it was recombined as Balaenoptera definata sibbaldina by Trouessart (1904); it was considered a nomen dubium by Bosselaers and Post (2010).
Balaenoptera borealina was named by Van Beneden (1880) [See Demere et al (2005) p. 112 for discussion.]. Its type specimen is none designated and is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Sable Superieur d'Anvers, which is in a Zanclean coastal sandstone in the Kattendijk Formation of Belgium.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Bosselaers and Post (2010).
Benedenia was named by Gray (1864). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1864) and Gray (1866); to Physalinidae by Gray (1868); and to Balaenidae by Palmer (1904).
Physalus was named by Gray (1821) [not Physalus Lacepede, 1804, a synonym of Physeter]. It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Physeter by Trouessart (1898); it was synonymized objectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Physeterina by Gray (1825); to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1864) and Gray (1866); to Physalinidae by Gray (1868); to Balaenopterinae by Flower (1865), Flower (1867) and Gill (1871); and to Balaenidae by Gray (1821), Gray (1850) and Palmer (1904).
Balaenoptera siberi was named by Pilleri (1989) [specimen is in the private collection of H. J Sieber, Aathal (Schweiz)]. Its type specimen is Private collection of Allejandro Pezzia Asserto, a skeleton (skull & skeleton), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Aguada de Lomas, which is in a Tortonian foreshore siltstone in the Pisco Formation of Peru.

It was considered an invalid subgroup of Balaenoptera by Bosselaers and Post (2010).
Mysticetus was named by Wagler (1830). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Gray (1846) and Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Balaenidae by Palmer (1904).
Physalis was named by Fleming (1822). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Gray (1846) and Hershkovitz (1966).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1804	Balaenoptera Lacepede
1821	Physalus Gray p. 310
1822	Physalis Fleming p. 206
1825	Balaenoptera Gray p. 340
1825	Physalus Gray p. 340
1830	Mysticetus Wagler p. 33
1846	Balaenoptera Gray p. 18
1846	Balaena (Balaenoptera) Reichenbach p. 784
1850	Balaenoptera Gray p. 31
1850	Physalus Gray p. 34
1863	Balaenoptera Gray p. 199
1864	Benedenia Gray p. 211
1864	Physalus Gray p. 215
1864	Sibbaldus Gray p. 222
1864	Balaenoptera Gray p. 226
1865	Physalus Flower p. 392
1865	Sibbaldius Flower p. 392
1865	Sibbaldus Flower p. 392 figs. Figures 16-18
1865	Balaenoptera Flower p. 393
1866	Benedenia Gray p. 135
1866	Physalus Gray p. 139
1866	Cuvierius Gray p. 164
1866	Sibbaldius Gray p. 169
1866	Sibbaldius (Rudolphius) Gray p. 170
1866	Balaenoptera Gray p. 186
1867	Balaenoptera Flower p. 115
1867	Physalus Flower p. 115
1867	Sibbaldus Flower p. 115
1868	Balaenoptera Cope p. 193
1868	Sibbaldus Cope p. 193
1868	Benedenia Gray p. 2
1868	Cuvierius Gray p. 2
1868	Physalus Gray p. 2
1868	Balaenoptera Gray p. 3
1868	Rudolphius Gray p. 3
1868	Sibbaldius Gray p. 3
1868	Swinhoia Gray p. 3
1869	Balaenoptera Scammon and Cope p. 15
1869	Sibbaldius Scammon and Cope p. 15
1871	Balaenoptera Gill p. 126
1871	Physalus Gill p. 126
1871	Sibbaldus Gill p. 126
1873	Balaenoptera Brandt p. 33
1874	Balaenoptera Brandt p. I
1874	Stenobalaena Gray p. 305
1880	Balaenoptera rostratella Van Beneden
1880	Balaenoptera sibbaldina Van Beneden p. 14
1880	Balaenoptera borealina Van Beneden pp. 15-16
1880	Balaenoptera rostratella Van Beneden p. 16
1882	Balaenoptera sibbaldina Van Beneden p. 63
1882	Balaenoptera borealina Van Beneden p. 71
1887	Balaenoptera Deperet p. 273
1887	Balaenoptera rostratella Lydekker p. 12
1887	Balaenoptera Lydekker p. 34
1887	Balaenoptera borealina Lydekker p. 39
1888	Balaenoptera andrejewi Anonymous
1888	Balaenoptera grimmi Anonymous
1889	Balaenoptera Ameghino p. 889
1890	Balaenoptera Cope p. 612
1891	Balaenoptera Newton p. 61
1891	Balaenoptera borealina Newton p. 62
1895	Balaenoptera Cope p. 151
1895	Balaenoptera Flores p. 14
1898	Balaenoptera Trouessart p. 1077
1902	Balaenoptera Hay p. 600
1904	Balaenoptera Case p. 54
1904	Balaenoptera Palmer p. 132
1904	Benedenia Palmer p. 136
1904	Mysticetus Palmer p. 444
1904	Physalus Palmer p. 536
1904	Rudolphius Palmer p. 613
1904	Sibbaldus Palmer p. 630
1904	Balaenoptera Trouessart p. 782
1904	Balaenoptera emarginata rostratella Trouessart p. 782
1904	Balaenoptera andrejewi Trouessart p. 783
1904	Balaenoptera grimmi Trouessart p. 783
1904	Balaenoptera definata sibbaldina Trouessart p. 784
1912	Balaenoptera Turner p. 31
1923	Balaenoptera Miller p. 40
1923	Sibbaldus Miller p. 40
1925	Balaenoptera Zittel p. 88
1928	Balaenoptera Weber p. 389
1929	Balaenoptera Dal Piaz
1930	Balaenoptera Hay p. 574
1944	Balaenoptera Kellogg p. 459
1945	Balaenoptera Simpson p. 105
1945	Sibbaldus Simpson p. 105
1951	Balaenoptera Ellerman and Morrisson-Scott p. 714
1960	Balaenoptera Fraser and Purves p. 112 figs. Figure 26
1963	Balaenoptera Scheffer and Rice p. 9
1977	Balaenoptera Barnes p. 331
1988	Balaenoptera Carroll
1989	Balaenoptera siberi Pilleri p. 77 figs. Fig. 1-6, Plates 1-10
1991	Balaenoptera Vidal p. 6
1996	Balaenoptera siberi Cozzuol p. 326
1997	Balaenoptera McKenna and Bell p. 377
1998	Balaenoptera Rice p. 69
2002	Balaenoptera Sepkoski, Jr.
2003	Balaenoptera Geisler and Sanders p. 27
2005	Balaenoptera Demere et al. p. 105 figs. Table II
2005	Balaenoptera borealina Demere et al. p. 105 figs. Table II
2005	Balaenoptera rostratella Demere et al. p. 105 figs. Table II
2005	Balaenoptera sibbaldina Demere et al. p. 105 figs. Table II
2005	Balaenoptera siberi Demere et al. p. 105 figs. Table II
2005	Balaenoptera Mead and Brownell p. 724
2006	Balaenoptera Bouetel and Muizon p. 386
2007	Balaenoptera Steeman p. 880
2008	Balaenoptera Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 5
2008	Balaenoptera Bisconti p. 174
2008	Balaenoptera Uhen et al. p. 619
2008	Balaenoptera borealina Uhen et al. p. 619
2008	Balaenoptera Whitmore and Kaltenbach p. 243
2008	Balaenoptera borealina Whitmore and Kaltenbach p. 244
2009	Balaenoptera Fordyce and Roberts p. 553
2011	Balaenoptera Ekdale et al. p. 39
2011	Balaenoptera Geisler et al. p. 6 figs. Table 1

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